It seems Sod’s Law and I are becoming very well acquainted. This was brought home to me today with regards to Jim Jim Garand’s Grauland. I’ve been aware that Jim had been working on a new design for his region for over a month, so had been keeping an eye out for its opening. Sod’s Law then determined I would be absent SL when it did open, causing me to miss the event.
I always enjoy Jim’s builds; they offer much to appreciate and draw on lots of varying sources of inspiration, some of them present in the physical world, other from the imagination; hence why I’ve been writing about them for some six years. The region design Jim presents to us at the start of 2026 is called Grauland Gap, and it appears to draw a degree of inspiration from Los Angeles.
The most obvious evidence for this statement lies in the “gap” which gives the setting its name. It splits the region north-to-south, cutting it into two unequal halves. This gap – a broad channel – carries a striking resemblance to the channel found within Los Angeles and which carry the waters of the Los Angeles River and its associated storm channels. It’s a look enhanced by the road and rail bridges crossing it; however, unlike the many LA channels seen in film and television, this one has an uneven riverbed floor rather than further smooth cement, giving it a unique look quite apart from any hint of LA.
The landscape in which Grauland Gap is far enough removed from LA, however, to ensure it stands apart from any physical world location. High mountains and tall cliffs rise over the setting, some of the mountains reaching out to sea and rising from it, leaving Grauland Gap with a second meaning behind its name: the town sits within a gap between the high cliffs and mountains, connected to the rest of the world by tunnels alone.
As a town, Grauland Gap is rich in detail and local life, be it the graffiti along the angled sides of the river channel to the people attending at what appears to be a gathering of classic and vintage cars in the south-west corner of the region, or enjoying a sunny wander along the streets. There is also what – to me at least – something of a clever juxtapositions within the region which might be seen as something of an artistic statement in place of the more overt art elements that so often form a part of Jim’s design.
This can be found in the car show mentioned above. It sits alongside a trendy coffee house, the cars pristine and admired in a weekly Cruise Night car and music show. The vignette speaks to the upbeat America we all prefer to see, from the trendy coffee house to the shiny fast cars – a general love of life and freedom.
Across the river channel however, and diagonally opposite the pristine cars in their well-kept parking lot, is a wrecking yard filled with the rusting, broken, carcasses of disposed cars and vehicles. The contrast between the two could not be more striking particularly in what might be seen as a possible artistic commentary on American consumerism, and short-termism.
The contrast can also be found in the sheer newness of the coffee house, its parking lot and the cars and the tired façades of the buildings across the road. Elsewhere, artistic intent is more directly expressed in the form of a sculpture upon which a latter-day artist has added their own statement, courtesy of a few spray cans of paint. It joins the river channel graffiti form the most visible physical displays of art.
The Landing Point sits on the south side of the region in the middle of the road running alongside the wrecking yard. A teleport disk sits in the road like an oversized manhole cover ready to do nasty things to an unwary passing car provides access to Jim’s skyborne store. Sitting between the landing point and the open sea is a children’s playground and steps down to a rough shingle beach that curves around to join the outflow of the river channel.
That the majority of the buildings in the setting are just façades and without interiors makes no difference: Grauland Gap (anywhere USA) is a visually engaging setting – do be sure to view it under the region EEP settings.
SLurl Details
- Grauland Gap (Liberia Isle, rated Adult)
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